Thanks to Freddie at the bier garten in Tulsa/Jenks for recommending this. Poured from a 750ml bottle into a tulip glass. Opened with a loud carbonated pop. Really strong carbonation. Dark copper in color with a nice thick head that stays around. Great lacing. A nice looking beer.

Smell has vanilla, fruity sweetness with maybe a little alcohol. Not your typical saison smell. Not as strong an aroma as I like in a saison.

Taste is disappointing. Slightly sweet with a definite rye backbone but it quickly disappears. There is no lingering sweetness which is what I like in a saison. Definitely not your typical saison. I can't say I don't like it but even if I could, i probably wouldn't buy this again.

Mouthfeel is good. Smooth and appropriate for a saison. The good mouthfeel can't overcome the lackluster taste.

Overall it's an okay beer. The rye is interesting in a saison but it's just okay. Maybe it's a little too subtle for my taste.

Wild Brew 2012 looks like a throwback to those darker, more amber farmhouse ales that Michael Jackson found in his early travels to Wallonia. This is because of the rye malt, which is much less pale than barley.

Rye has a particular aroma and flavor in beer. In this beer’s aroma, the rye grains give off a musty quality. It’s like smelling a loaf of rye bread inside of a dusty attic. There’s a note of mildewed paper that reminds me of the boxes of old magazines and video game strategy guides that are still in my mother’s garage. No, it really reminds me of tattered magazine pages and dusty books from destroyed houses, after the April 27th, 2011 tornado that tore through Tuscaloosa, when I was assisting with the clean-up. Black pepper is there too, not so much peppercorns as just some table pepper. All this musty character is muting the hints of lemon.

This is a thoughtful Saison. I say that because this beer manages to evoke the terroir of Oklahoma, or at least it evokes my mental depiction of Oklahoma. This is a hardscrabble beer. The flavor is so assertive with rye character. It tastes like dark bread and dried-out patches of mud. It tastes dusty. If this Saison is representative of the land, then it comes from soil that hardens and cracks. It comes from soil that heats up during the day and retains its heat through the night. It comes from soil that yields short growing seasons, that favors grains and starches with lots of protein. This beer tastes like survival.

There’s brightness up front with some lemon zest and pear juice. That brightness is quickly overshadowed by the deep grain flavors. The rye comes across as sharp and spicy, with antecedent flavors of cedar and, like, a wallet made from distressed leather. Rye flavor in beer is different from other instances of rye. It’s not really like those rye chips from a bag of Chex Mix or Gardetto’s (I’ve always hated those rye chips. They taste alright to me, but they are too crunchy. I always feel like I’m going to crack a tooth. Indeed, I’ve cracked teeth on less. So of course Gardetto’s sells entire bags of nothing but their rye chips). Nor is the flavor noticeably similar to rye whiskey from America or Canada. It’s closest to rye sandwich bread, but bread yeasts don’t bring out the inherent spicy flavor of rye like brewer’s yeasts do. This beer clearly highlights rye flavor; I feel about as close to eating dry, hot dirt that I’ve ever felt. The midpalate of the beer sees the Saison yeast’s peppery phenols start to squeeze their way through the assertive rye. The finish is certainly dry enough for the style, but the rye reigns.

As I drink this beer, I’m staring out the back windows of my new office/writing studio at my new house. My backyard is about ¼ grass, ¾ clusters of assorted weeds, and ¼ dirt. The dirt begins in the upper right corner of my backyard and spreads out like a baseball diamond. If I stare hard enough I can imagine a tumbleweed frolicking across. That’s what this beer tastes like, and it’s basically what I imagine Oklahoma’s farmland to look like. I can practically hear Jim Ross call a wrestling match right now. While this is the first rye saison I’ve ever come across, there’s something that just clicks for me. The knowledge of how much rye is grown in Oklahoma plays a large part in my satisfaction, but that’s also because it plays a large part in the intent of the brewers. This is a cohesive beer that evokes the land because the brewers cared to make it that way. This isn’t a great beer by any means, but it is the kind of beer I’d like to see more of. It just makes sense.

T/M: A grand slap in the face with rye alcohol. Heavy rye flavors followed by a prevalent perfumed alcohol presence and nicely spiced. Toasted malts, and under established yeast flavors swimming in a medium almost chewy body. A subtle sweet backdrop, cork, salted peanuts, floral hops and wood. Finish is dry with a slightly tart and lingering bitterness of citrus rinds and persimmons.

O: Interesting brew that delivers a well rounded flavor. There is a lot going on here but seems to be blended well. The taste comes off more of a rye beer due to the huge alcohol and rye flavors but smells like a nice saison variety. At 7% ABV i think the alcohol presence may be overdone. Definitely glad I picked this up. The Choc Beer Co. and the Oklahoma Ale Makers (FOAM) did a great job in this collaboration. Hats off gentlemen

T - Follows the nose with oranges, spicy cocoa, Belgian yeast, amaretto, fruity esters of melon, fresh figs, and stone fruit. The rye is very present and seems to have taken on a hazelnut character, some bubblegum comes out as it warms up. Spiciness builds toward the end helping to dry out the sweetness creating a semi-dry finish.

M - Moderate creamy carbonation, full body for the style.

This is an odd duck. The rye is interesting but it's too sweet for a Saison. Almost more of a BSPA. Fun to drink but not sure it all works together.